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Pontefract Cartulary
(1100-1300)The Cluniac monastery of St John the Evangelist at Pontefract (Pomfret) in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was founded in the 11th century by Robert de Lascy. The grants of land made to the priory from then well into the 13th century were copied into a cartulary or chartulary which eventually came to Godfrey Wentworth of Woolley Park. This was edited by Richard Holmes and published by Yorkshire Archaeological Society in 1899 and 1902. The individuals named are mainly local landowners and tenants, canons, servants and wellwishers of the monastery. The charters before 1250 are often undated: the numbering of the charters is modern, and amounts to 561. The cartulary itself contains 11 fasciculi, to which Holmes gave these section names - I. The Seigniorial Charters; II. The Ecclesiastical Charters; III. Royal Charters and Confirmations; IV. The Local Charters (Pontefract &c.); V. The Ledstone Charters; VI. The Ledsham Charters; VII. Miscellaneous Charters; VIII. The Peckfield and other Charters; IX. and X. Scarborough and other Charters; and XI. Leases to Tenants. Ledston(e), Ledsham and Peckfield are all close to Pontefract, as is most of the property.

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Chancery Warrants
(1244-1326)Warrants were issued by the kings of England to the royal chancery: most of these warrants led to further proceedings which are recorded on the Charter Rolls, Patent Rolls, Fine Rolls, Close Rolls or the Inquisitions: but archivists have identified a large number of warrants for which there are no such equivalent records, and those for the reigns of Edward I and Edward II are gathered here. Most of the entries relate to England and Wales, but with occasional items referring to Ireland and the English possessions in France.

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Inhabitants of Yorkshire: Ewcross wapentake
(1379)The poll tax returns for this wapentake, the area around Sedbergh.

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Inhabitants of Yorkshire: Staincross wapentake
(1379)The poll tax returns for this wapentake, the area around Penistone and Barnsley.

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Inhabitants of Yorkshire: Tickhill wapentake
(1379)The poll tax returns for this wapentake, the area around Tickhill.

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Tradesmen of York
(1272-1558)No man or woman could trade in the city of York without having obtained 'freedom' of the city.Their names were recorded on the 'Freemen's Roll', or Register of the Freemen of the City of York, which contains about 19,900 names for this period. A list of names was prepared for each year, the year being here reckoned as starting at Michaelmas (29 September) until 1373, and thence at Candlemas (2 February). Each annual list starts with the name of the mayor and the camerarii or chamberlains. The chamberlains were freemen charged with the duty of receiving the fees of the new freemen; of seeing that only freemen traded in the city; and of preparing this roll, which was compiled from the names on their own account books from the receipts for the fees. There are three groups of freemen: those who obtained freedom after serving out an apprenticeship to a freeman; the children of freemen; and those who claimed freedom by 'redemption', i. e. by purchase or gift from the Mayor and Court of Aldermen.

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Yorkshire Feet of Fines
(1571-1584)Pedes Finium - law suits, or pretended suits, putting on record the ownership of land in Yorkshire

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Secretary of State's Papers
(1597)The letters and papers of sir Robert Cecil, Secretary of State, deal with all manner of government business in England, Ireland and abroad.

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London Inquisitions Post Mortem
(1577-1603)Full and complete abstracts of inquisitions post mortem for the City of London in this period. These are inquiries as to the real estate and heir of each person holding in capite or in chief, i. e. directly, from the Crown. The precise date of death of the deceased and the age and relationship of the heir are usually recorded. This index covers all names mentioned, including jurors, tenants, &c. This abstract also includes a handful of earlier items omitted from previous volumes.

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London Marriage Allegations
(1521-1610)London, Essex and part of Hertfordshire lay within the diocese of London. In the later 17th century the individual archdeaconry courts issued marriage licences, but for this period the only surviving material is from the overarching London Consistory court. The main series of marriage allegations from the consistory court starts 7 December 1597, and these were extracted by Colonel Joseph Lemuel Chester; Colonel Chester then discovered earlier material, back to 5 January 1521, in Vicar-General's Books of the Principal Probate Registry. The notices in these books were much briefer, but as well as extending back so much earlier, they included additional material for 1597 onwards. All this he collated with the consistory court extracts, and the text was edited by George J. Armytage and published by the Harleian Society in 1887. A typical later entry will give date; name, address and occupation of groom; name, address and condition of his intended bride, and/or, where she is a spinster, her father's name, address and occupation. Lastly we have the name of the church where the wedding was going to take place; or the words Gen. Lic. signifying a general or open licence.